The Foreign Office has confirmed the body of John Alder, one of 10 Britons killed in the Malaysia Airlines crash, has been identified.

Mr Alder, who was 63, died alongside fellow Newcastle fan Liam Sweeney and 296 others when the plane was shot down over Ukraine on 17 July.

Western politicians suspect the jet was hit by a Russian surface-to-air missile fired by pro-Russian separatists.

The rebels and Russia blame the Ukrainian military for the crash.

Mr Alder and Mr Sweeney were killed while making a 23,000 mile round trip to see their team play.

Malcolm Pegg, a friend of both men who co-organised a memorial service held at St James' Park, said: "I think it brings closure.

"Liam was buried the other week. They went away together, this has brought them back together.

"It's a mixture of good news [for his family] they're going to get him back, but sad news it's confirmed he's dead."

He added he expected the club's fans to pay tribute to both men by visiting the memorial garden at St James' Park before the game against Crystal Palace at 15:00 BST.

Supporters are also expected to applaud during the 17th minute of the match to mark the date and flight number that claimed the lives of Mr Alder and Mr Sweeney.

Criminal investigation

Two-thirds of the 298 people on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 were from the Netherlands, so the Dutch have taken the lead in identifying the bodies, trying to establish what caused the crash and running the criminal investigation.

The plan will particularly help the North East which has one of the highest levels of fuel poverty in the country, said Energy Secretary Ed Davey.

14:16:Weaknesses in flood walls spotted

The Environment Agency said flood defence work has been carried out in Stanhope village in County Durham after weaknesses in the walls were spotted.

Assistant project manager Duncan Harrison said: "New evidence helped identify some low spots in the existing defences. By replacing the wall along Wear Terrace and raising the walls and banks around Butts House we have been able to further reduce the risk of flooding in Stanhope."

Stanhope has been deluged in recent downpours most significantly in January 1995 when 21 properties were flooded following heavy rain.

Harvey Madden had been suffering from leukaemia and lymphoma. He died from an infection yesterday in North Tees General Hospital, Stockton. He was 66.

13:16:'Horrible dogfight' expectedConor McNamaraBBC Match of the Day commentator

A horrible dogfight. That's how Steve Bruce was describing the relegation battle, even before his team lost to Stoke City on Saturday.

While the Hull manager believes that Peter Crouch's winner was offside, he also needs much more from his players at the moment. Hull only produced one shot in the whole game at The Britannia Stadium.

Tuesday's opponents Sunderland have gone four league games without victory, and Gus Poyet has only seen his side win once in the league since Christmas.

One of those defeats was at home to Hull on Boxing Day. Sunderland got off to the perfect start when Adam Johnson scored in the first minute but Hull came back to win the game 3-1. Read more of my match preview here.

13:01:News on the hour

The top local headlines at 13:00 are:

BBC Tees: Campaigners are angry at the planning inspectorate's dismissal of the blueprint for County Durham's future for being "too ambitious"

Jo, from Gateshead, has a rare medical condition called Usher Syndrome. As well as being born deaf, by the age of 29 she was also losing her sight. But in March last year she was fitted with cochlear implants.

A British Transport Police spokesman said the woman died at the scene and officers were trying to identify her.

09:35:Image of football 'smoke bomber'

Transport police are trying to identify a man who lobbed a smoke bomb at young football fans waiting at Sunderland metro station after a match.

Officers have released this grainy CCTV image of a man in a cap who they want to speak to about the attack in the hope that someone will recognise him.

They even believe the suspect boarded the 20:21 service to Newcastle Monument with the rest of the fans after the smoke bomb was thrown.

It happened on 5 February following the Sunderland versus Newcastle under 18s fixture at the Stadium of Light.

PC Michelle Clark, of British Transport Police, said: "A group of supporters left the ground before the game had finished and headed to the station. Once in the station one of the group threw a smoke bomb off the platform in the direction of a group of Sunderland supporters in the car park."

BBC Tees: The number of asylum seeker applications in Middlesbrough has gone up in 10% over the last decade, the BBC learns.

08:41:Commuters tackle snowThe Chronicle

Commuters woke up to parts of County Durham and Northumberland having a light blanketing of snow. However, Newcastle and Sunderland were spared the snow flakes apart from a few icy patches as well as strong sunshine.

BBC links

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